Figures reveal town’s living wage crisis

More than one in four workers in Doncaster are paid below the ‘living wage’, new figures have revealed.

Data released by the TUC, based on analysis of figures from the House of Commons Library, shows that 28 per cent of earners in Doncaster are paid under £7.65 an hour, which the TUC regards to be the minimum earning threshold for a living wage.

The statistics also revealed how women workers in Doncaster fared worse than men, with 35 per cent earning less than the living wage, compared with 20 per cent of men.

Neil Foster, policy and campaigns officer for the Yorkshire and the Humber TUC, said of the figures: “The fact that one in four workers in Doncaster is paid below a living wage is bad for individuals concerned but also troubling for the local economy.”

He added: “Ed Miliband is right to explore different ways a future Labour government could encourage all those employers who can afford to pay a living wage to do so. For the many people on poverty pay we need more employers to pay a fair wage right now.”

The figures have been released by the TUC to coincide with the 15th anniversary of the minimum wage and as part of their fair wage fortnight.